– It is very common for people to break, lose or have their phones stolen, says Håkan Franzén, insurance expert at Trygg-Hansa.
A trend that has been clear during the se
In the next few years, the number of insurance cases will also increase when new flagship models, such as new iPhone variants, are launched.
– This is something that all insurance companies testify to, and the cases that are increasing are about all possible variants where the phones are lost in different ways. Theft is very common, that the glass breaks, that phones are dropped in the lake or that they disappear.
This also means that insurance companies are extra careful in their claims settlement, says Håkan Franzén.
– When you, as a customer, report a theft or damage, you must be able to prove your possession, as they say in specialist language. If you don’t have the receipt for your phone because you threw it away, you must be able to show something like a box, a charger or whatever you have if we feel we need to prove possession.
Step 1: How to prepare
Instead of being an afterthought, you can make sure to prepare for the fact that your mobile phone might actually go missing. Then you also have a greater chance of actually getting your phone back when the accident has occurred and the loss is a fact. Insurance, program settings to help you find the phone, security codes, IMEI number, having a spare phone ready – these are the things you should have thought about before getting rid of the phone.
Review your insurance policies
If you have taken out a home insurance policy with a dirt supplement (or all-risk insurance, bad luck insurance, additional risk insurance – dear child has many names), you can very likely receive compensation for your lost or stolen mobile phone – provided that the loss was sudden and unexpected, which is most of the time the case .
Most operators and mobile phone shops also offer specific mobile insurance policies that can be taken out when you buy a new mobile phone. These are usually quite expensive and unnecessary if you already have extended home insurance.
An advantage of specific mobile insurance compared to home insurance with extras is that they usually have a lower deductible than home insurance and no age deduction.
When it comes to home insurance, most insurance companies expect a reduction in value of up to 80 percent for your mobile phone just two years after you have bought it, according to a round-up that PC for All has done.
Get a spare phone
Having an extra phone as a backup is a smart move and can be a very good investment. Today, for example, there are simpler Android models that can be purchased for less than a thousand Swedish kroner. Also make sure you also have a prepaid card ready for the phone in question – without a subscription, an extra phone is of no use the day you get rid of your main phone. Also, don’t forget to actually take the spare phone with you if you’re going away.
Note down your IMEI number
Every mobile phone has a unique IMEI number that allows the phone to be identified in the mobile network. If you make a police report about your lost or stolen mobile phone, you must have this number at hand so that the device can be searched in the police register.
You can find the IMEI number on the receipt for your phone, on the phone’s box, and under the battery of your phone if it is a model with a removable battery. Make sure to have the number written down somewhere – perhaps on a note in your wallet so you have access to the number even when you’re on the move.
Protect with locks and features
To make it difficult for a thief to access the contents of your phone at once, it is important that you protect the phone both with a screen lock and by using a pin code for your subscription. In both Android and iOS, there are also features that can help you try to recover your phone if you’ve lost it by allowing you to locate it, ring it at maximum volume, and wipe data from it remotely.
While the anti-theft features built into operating systems don’t seem to have had much of an impact on police clearance rates, they have all the better proven to be a deterrent to mobile thieves.
Step 2: When the mobile phone disappears
If you have had your mobile phone stolen, you can try to locate the phone before blocking the subscription and the phone. This is information that is good to have at hand when you then contact the police to report that the phone is stolen or lost.
Report theft/loss to the police
To block the mobile phone subscription and the phone through your operator, you first need to make a police report about the theft or loss of your phone. You can do this on an online form or by calling 114 14. When you have made the report, you will receive a diary number that the operator will ask for when you block the phone. You also need the diary number when you contact the insurance company if you do not get your phone back.
Block phone and subscription
Since you are responsible for your mobile phone, it formally means that your responsibility to pay for the subscription to it continues even if you get rid of the phone. Therefore, you should immediately make sure to call and block your phone and your subscription with your operator to make sure that your phone is not used to make a lot of expensive phone calls and other things.
Locking the phone, which requires you to have access to the IMEI number of the phone (which is often in your carrier’s records if you have a plan where you bought the phone through them), means that it ends up in a record and is marked as stolen.
The IMEI number is unique for each phone and is used to identify the phone in the mobile network. If the thief tries to unlock the phone somewhere, it will appear that it is a stolen phone because the IMEI number ends up in a central international theft register.
Once you have blocked your subscription, the operator usually asks if you want a new SIM card sent to you.
Step 3: When the loss is a fact
But make sure you did everything right. You have tried to find your lost phone using the software features for it, but failed. You have reported the loss or theft to the police and you have blocked the subscription and the phone, but it does not look like you will get it back.
What are you going to do?
Well, call your insurance company and tell them what happened. The excess will cost you a penny, and if it’s been a while since you bought the phone, you won’t be reimbursed for its full value if it’s through home insurance that you want to get compensation for the lost phone.
Most insurance companies will only pay out the full value of the phone within a year or even less after you buy it. However, it does not matter what mobile phone model you have, as the same age deduction and rules apply regardless of model.
Already within a few days after you blocked the SIM card with your operator, a new SIM card should appear in your mailbox if you asked for it when you blocked the card.
Once you have received your new SIM card, just buy a new phone and use the SIM card in the new phone.
You call here to block
Tele2: 0586-79 53 88.
From abroad: +46 856 22 20 40.
Telenor: 020-222 222.
From abroad: +46 708 222 222.
Telia: 020-411 000.
From abroad: +46 771 411 000
Three: 0771-735 300.
From abroad: +46 771 735 300
Keep in mind that cash cards from, for example, Halebop, Comviq and Hallon are blocked via the web. It requires that you have previously registered your cash card in order to be able to block it, and it will be easier if you have also created an account on the web service.
How to activate Find my iPhone
1. To activate the service Find my iPhone you go to first Settingsand then scrolls to iCloud and Find my iPhone.
2. Under the settings here, you can then choose both to activate the service and also to automatically send location information to Apple when the battery starts to run low.
… and then you locate it
1. Surf first to www.icloud.com/#find and sign in with your Apple.ID.
2. If the service is activated and the phone is on, you can see where it is on a map and when it was last reachable.
3. Tap the highlight for the phone to see an information box where you can play audio on the phone (good if you’ve lost it at home) and also erase the contents of the phone itself if you suspect it’s in the wrong hands. You can also activate a lost mode with “Lost fashion” option.
4.”Lost fashion” allows you to lock the phone and to invite honest finders of it to call you at the number you enter here.
How to activate remote lock on Android
1. The equivalent of the Find my iPhone function on Android mobiles is called Android Device Manager. Go to Google Settingsand select Android Device Manager.
2. Here you activate the function by marking the check box as well Allow remote locking and remote wipe.
…and then you find it
1. To access remote locking functions and check where your mobile is located (which you can do if you activated the function according to the instructions above and the mobile phone is still switched on) you first surf to www.google.com/android/devicemanager. There you log in with your Google account.
2. In the box with your mobile’s model name, you can call the phone even if it is in silent mode, which is good if you have simply lost your phone at home. The Lock feature replaces the lock screen with a password lock and button Clear deletes all content on the phone. Please note that the Android Device Manager feature will stop working after you start the wipe feature.
Windows
If you have a Windows phone, you will find good, Swedish-language instructions on Microsoft’s website: